History and Uses of Accelerators

DOE-HDBK-1108-97

Radiological Training for Accelerator Facilities

Instructor's Guide

Lesson Plan

Instructor's Notes

HISTORY AND USES OF ACCELERATORS

Definition

Accelerators are devices employing electrostatic or

Reference 5480.25

electromagnetic fields to input kinetic energy to

molecules, atomic or subatomic particles and capable

of creating a radiological area.

Need for Accelerators

In the early 1900s, radioactive particles could be

obtained only from materials found in nature. The

studies that physicists wanted to perform required both

higher intensities and higher energies than were

obtainable from the natural sources. The ability to vary

energy and intensity to suit a particular experiment was

also desirable.

In the 1930s, scientists began to build machines that

produced the needed degree of control. These machines

were called accelerators.

The Development of the Accelerator

The earliest accelerators were simple vacuum tubes in

which electrons were given an increase in energy by the

voltage difference between two oppositely charged

electrodes.